FIDF honor Israeli soldiers

Israeli shaliach (emissary) Gilor Meshalum, Alyse Teitelbaum and Yehuda Fishaut at the FIDF event.

BOSTON – More than 1,200 prominent lay leaders and Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) supporters from across greater Boston came together Oct. 31 for the FIDF New England Chapter’s annual dinner at the Westin Waterfront Hotel.

Among the main speakers was Moria Ashkenazy, whose husband, Sgt. Maj. Yair Ashkenazy z”l, an IDF reserve soldier, was the 33rd Israeli casualty of Operation Protective Edge this past summer. A municipal lawyer, Ashkenazy attended university and earned a law degree thanks to the FIDF IMPACT! Scholarship Program. Moria, a widowed mother of three, is now a recipient of the FIDF LEGACY Program, which cares for the families of fallen soldiers.

Special guests included Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born activist, writer and politician, best known for her outspoken advocacy about female genital mutilation, Islam, and women’s rights; her husband, Niall Ferguson, a Scottish historian and Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University; and Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.

Ron Dermer, Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S., delivered the keynote address, recognizing Kraft for his support for Israel and Hirsi Ali for her human rights advocacy. From 2005-2008, Dermer served as Israel’s Minister of Economic Affairs in the U.S and senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2009-2013. In 2004, he co-wrote the best-selling book, “The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror,” which has been translated into 10 languages and notably endorsed by President George W. Bush.

The FIDF event also featured 11 IDF soldiers who participated in Operation Protective Edge in Gaza this summer.

FIDF was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors as a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing and supporting educational, social, cultural and recreational programs and facilities for the heroic men and women of the IDF. Today, FIDF has more than 120,000 loyal supporters, and 15 regional offices throughout the U.S. and Panama. FIDF proudly offers its support to the IDF soldiers and their families through a variety of unique and innovative programs. These opportunities reinforce the vital bond among the communities in the United States, the soldiers of the IDF, and the State of Israel. For more information, please visit: fidf.org.